Rotary Plate Valve Assembly for Low-Pressure-Loss Flow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas turbine engines face high pressure losses and require large forces to open and close butterfly valves, leading to increased weight and volume due to the need for larger actuators, which is undesirable for mobile platforms like aircraft.
Innovation Solution
A rotary plate valve system with a plate assembly that moves between open and closed positions, reducing pressure losses and forces required, allowing for smaller actuators and lighter, more compact designs by using a plate assembly with fluid channels that diverge and converge to manage fluid flow efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a butterfly valve is used to control fluid flow, then the valve can be simple in structure, but it results in high pressure losses and requires large forces to open and close under load
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is segmented into multiple plates (first plate, second plate, third plate) arranged in sequence, each with openings that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows fluid to flow through multiple stages with gradual opening/closing actions, reducing pressure losses compared to a single butterfly valve while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-plane butterfly valve to a multi-plate arrangement where plates are stacked in the axial direction. This adds a dimensional aspect to the valve structure, allowing fluid to pass through multiple openings in sequence, which reduces the pressure drop across the valve while keeping each individual plate simple in design.
2Device complexity
If a butterfly valve is used to control fluid flow, then the valve can be simple in structure, but it requires large forces to open and close under load
Solution Approach 1:
The valve operation is segmented into multiple stages with multiple plates opening and closing in sequence. Each plate requires a portion of the total force, but the segmented approach reduces the peak force requirement compared to moving a single large butterfly valve disc against full differential pressure, while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
By stacking multiple plates in the axial dimension, the force requirement is distributed across multiple smaller opening/closing actions rather than one large movement. This dimensional arrangement reduces the force needed at any given moment while keeping the valve structure simple.
3Reliability
If larger actuators are used to overcome high forces in butterfly valves, then the valve can reliably open and close under load, but the weight and volume of the valve system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation system is segmented to control multiple plates independently or in sequence. Each plate or group of plates can be actuated with smaller forces, allowing the use of lighter, more compact actuators while maintaining reliable operation under load through the cumulative effect of multiple plates working together.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-plate configuration in the axial dimension allows the actuator to work against smaller differential pressures at each stage rather than the full differential pressure across a single valve, enabling the use of lighter actuators while maintaining reliability under load conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary valve system includes a first body having a first plurality of fluid channels. The first fluid channels have a common first inlet to receive a fluid and a first outlet. The system includes a second body coupled to the first body. The second body has a second plurality of fluid channels. The second fluid channels have a second inlet and a second outlet. The system includes a plate assembly having a plate coupled between the first body and the second body. The plate is movable between at least a first, open position in which the first outlet of at least one of the first fluid channels is in fluid communication with the second inlet of at least one of the second fluid channels and a second, closed position in which the second inlet of each of the second fluid channels is substantially completely obstructed by the plate.